5. Meeting in the Flower Garden (3)
Other than Jule, and… my father, on the day my real mother died, this was the first time I had ever seen a boy cry.
Jule, being only four, cried often, but Father had only cried on that one rainy day. This was my first time ever being around children my own age, let alone boys. And my first thought was, ‘For a boy, he’s so beautiful.’
He must have felt embarrassed, because he wiped his tears with the sleeve of his expensive-looking clothes and turned away, saying, “It’s nothing.” But that only made me more curious.
“We still have a little more time. If you’d like, why don’t you tell me about it? …Oh, forgive my belated introduction. I am Sheryl Muzel, daughter of Count Muzel.”
“…Hugues. Hugues Felix. I am the son of a ducal house. …I’ve allowed a lady to see me in a disgraceful state.”
“Oh, my, fufu. We are still just children. There are no ‘ladies’ or ‘gentlemen’ here yet. Please, let us speak as friends.”
He said nothing about my frumpy makeup or my face. Instead, he took out a handkerchief and spread it on the lip of the fountain, which was wide enough for a child to sit on. He was quite the gentleman himself.
The other boys I had seen today, while not crying, were running around and spilling cake on their clothes—they seemed no different from Jule.
I had thought that was just how boys were, but he was a little different. His clothes… aside from the sleeve he’d used to wipe his tears, were spotless, and his shoes showed no signs of being scuffed from running about.
I thanked him and sat down on the handkerchief. He sat down next to me, leaving a polite distance between us.
“The truth is, because I am the heir to a ducal house, I was told to find a potential fiancée today, and to do it quickly.”
“My… that is rather forward, isn’t it?”
“I have ties to the royal family, so they said it was best to find someone early and begin her education to be a suitable match, but…”
“Perhaps… you weren’t able to find anyone?”
After a brief silence, he gave a small nod.
“There were plenty of pretty girls, and girls who were impeccably dressed, but that alone isn’t enough… There was one girl I thought might be the one, but I couldn’t find her. And now the party is about to end before I even had a chance to speak with her…”
“What was she like? I’ve made some friends, so I can go and ask them for you right away.”
“I couldn’t see her face. At the end of His Majesty’s greeting, she performed a truly beautiful curtsy… Yes, she had gray hair, just like you, and… an ice-blue dress…”
As he spoke, he stared at me as if he were seeing something unbelievable. He’s talking about me.
“It was you! It was you, wasn’t it?! Lady Sheryl, the one I thought was perfect was you!”
But surely, he must be disappointed now. No matter how elegant my movements or how proper my etiquette, today I was not only plain, but frumpy.
And yet, his bright green eyes were sparkling as he looked at me, as if he had just discovered a treasure. Perhaps people who are beautiful themselves don’t care much about the appearance of others.
“…Yes. I believe you are probably referring to me. However, Lord Hugues, your parents would be disappointed with a girl as unattractive as I am. Therefore, I believe it would be best for you to report that you were unable to find anyone today.”
“What… what are you saying? With such frumpy… no, I know it’s rude to say to a lady, but if you weren’t wearing that makeup…”
“No, please, do not make me disparage myself any further. Lord Hugues, if you were to send me a letter, I might be able to introduce you to my wonderful friends. So please, just say that you couldn’t find anyone.”
If I were to become the wife of a future duke, it would be Lord Hugues, the boy right in front of me, who would be laughed at. He mustn’t get entangled with a girl who is so unattractive… and who, on top of that, is wearing frumpy makeup just to find female friends.
“Come, let us return. You simply need to tell them the truth: that you saw a wonderful girl but were unable to speak with her. And that will be the end of it.”
I stood up, folded his handkerchief neatly, and returned it to him. He took it, a look of suspicion on his face.
Even so, he nodded once, saying, “Alright,” and we returned to the party venue together, parting ways there.
An unattractive girl like me is not worthy of such a beautiful and well-mannered boy. I hoped he would forget all about what happened today.
When His Majesty gave his closing remarks, I was once again the only one… this time from a corner in the back… to give a proper curtsy.
In the carriage on the way home, I told Okaasama about the three female friends and the one male friend I had made. I also told her how that boy had, for a moment, considered me as a fiancée, and how I had refused him because I was unattractive.
“Is that so,” Okaasama said with a smile, and then seemed to fall deep in thought. As for me, I must have been more nervous than I realized, because I sank into the carriage cushions and fell fast asleep.